Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 150 Home Cooking - Beginner Level [Sixth Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Kiryu Yaya's gaze swept over the three options.

Fork one, thirty thousand yen.

It's not a good idea to refuse someone who has been busy for a long time and has just had some free time, especially someone like Keiko Miyazawa.

Fork three: Arrive early to prepare dinner together.

It sounds heartwarming, but his relationship with Keiko Miyazawa isn't at the point where they can stand side-by-side in the kitchen washing vegetables and cutting meat.

The second option is to accept the invitation, bring a gift, which is both considerate and maintains a subtle distance.

This is the most suitable choice.

Kiryu Yaya made his choice in his heart.

"Okay, when?"

Keiko Miyazawa on the other end of the phone visibly relaxed, her voice brightening slightly: "This Sunday noon, is that alright?"

"Can."

"It's settled then! I haven't called Ayako yet, but she should be fine."

Keiko Miyazawa's voice trembled with barely concealed excitement as she asked, "By the way, does Kiryu-kun have any dietary restrictions? Or any particular food he likes?"

"There are no dietary restrictions; you can do whatever you want."

"Then... I'll go ahead and improvise?"

"it is good."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone wanted to say something but held back. Then Miyazawa Keiko took a soft breath: "See you on Sunday, Kiryu-kun."

See you on Sunday.

The phone hangs up.

Kiryu Yaya put the receiver back, leaned back in his chair, and smiled slightly.

[World line converging—branch two selected]

The skill "Home Cooking - Beginner" has been unlocked.

[Home Cooking - Beginner: Master basic Japanese home-style cooking techniques. This includes: seasoning (basic proportions of salt, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi), heat control (judging the temperature and time for stewing, grilling, and frying), and ingredient preparation (cutting fish into three pieces, chopping vegetables, and preparing meat).]

Kiryu Yaya looked at the message and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

Home cooking?

This skill doesn't seem to be of much use in a bank.

However, if I go to Miyazawa's house for dinner on the weekend and her cooking is really unpalatable, I can at least find an excuse to go into the kitchen and salvage it.

He snapped out of his reverie and continued flipping through the documents on the table.

Outside the window, the streetlights of Midosuji lit up one by one as dusk deepened, while the lights in the financing review department on the third floor of the bank remained on.

Kiryu Yaya's pencil lightly traced across the paper, but his mind was preoccupied with something else.

Sunday, at the Miyazawa residence.

What kind of gift should he bring?

When Kiryu Yaya came out of the bank, it was already completely dark.

Instead of going straight back to his apartment in Esaka, he rode his scooter south along Midosuji and turned into a narrow alley near Tennoji.

This is a great place that Kiryu Yaya recently discovered.

The streets were lined with all sorts of small shops.

Kiryu Yaya parked his motorcycle in the bicycle parking area at the entrance of the shopping street, took off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars, and walked into this lively old street with his briefcase in hand.

This wasn't his first time here.

Since moving to his new apartment, he has been looking for a place to have dinner.

I get tired of eating at convenience stores after a while, and while the bank cafeteria is cheap, it only serves Chinese food.

Deep inside this shopping street is a canteen that has been open for over forty years.

The owner is an old man in his seventies. His fried pork chops and stews are simple yet hearty, and the prices are reasonable.

A set meal of fried pork cutlet costs 550 yen.

Rice can be added as much as you like, the miso soup contains real clams and tofu, and the shredded cabbage is piled up like a small mountain.

Drizzled with a perfectly balanced sweet and sour sesame sauce, it has a more human touch than the standard set meals in bank cafeterias.

"Kiryu-san, you're later than usual today."

The owner, Kazuo Yoshida, stood behind the metal plate, his gray hair tied back with a white headscarf, and his apron stained with oil and sauce.

He saw Kiryu Yaya push the door open and enter, a slight smile appearing on his face, but the shovel in his hand did not stop.

"Working overtime, huh?"

Kiryu Yaya sat down in the corner of the bar, placed his briefcase at his feet, and loosened his tie.

"The usual?"

"The same as always."

Yoshida nodded, took a pork chop from the refrigerator, skillfully coated it with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and then put it into the sizzling oil pan.

Golden bubbles rose from around the pork chop, and the aroma of oil mixed with the smoky scent of flour filled the small cafeteria.

Kiryu Yaya leaned back in his chair, watching the action on the metal plate, and slowly relaxed.

That's why he likes coming here.

In a bank, everyone is reading faces, guessing what others are thinking, and calculating value.

But in this small canteen of less than 20 square meters, he is just "Kiryu-san," an ordinary office worker who works overtime until late and comes to eat a tonkatsu set meal.

No one knew he graduated from the University of Tokyo, no one knew he worked in the finance review department of Mitsubishi Bank, and no one knew he had just made a minister kneel before him.

He was able to get a rare moment of relaxation.

"Kiryu-san, you must be very busy lately?"

While flipping the pork cutlet, the owner, Yoshida, casually asked.

"good."

"It's normal for banks to be busy. My son used to work at a bank, but he couldn't stand it and quit."

"Mr. Yoshida's son?"

"Yeah. He said there are too many rules in the bank and the interpersonal relationships are too complicated. He got sick from working there for so long."

The owner, Yoshida, took the fried pork cutlet out of the water, drained the oil, cut it into strips, and arranged them neatly on a plate, with shredded cabbage and a small handful of tomato slices piled on the side.

"Nowadays, everyone wants to find a respectable job, but only they themselves know best whether it's respectable or not."

He placed the plate in front of Kiryu Yaya, and then served him a bowl of miso soup and a bowl of rice, sprinkling a few black sesame seeds on top of the rice.

Please enjoy your meal.

Kiryu Yaya picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of fried pork cutlet, and put it in his mouth.

The outer skin is crispy, and when you bite into it, it makes a "crunch" sound. The meat juice bursts in your mouth, mixed with the aroma of oil and a slight saltiness.

He chewed slowly, savoring the satisfaction that spread from the tip of his tongue throughout his body.

Yoshida's fried pork cutlet is truly exceptional.

After finishing the last piece of pork cutlet, Kiryu Yaya poured the rice into the remaining sauce, mixed it up, ate it all in a few bites, and then drank the miso soup in one gulp.

Thank you for your hospitality.

He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.

The owner, Yoshida, smiled at him and took the empty plate and bowl: "Are you full?"

"I'm full."

"That's good. Young man, no matter how busy you are, make sure you eat well and sleep well. Health is the foundation of everything."

"Mr. Yoshida is right."

Kiryu Yaya took out 550 yen from his wallet, placed it on the counter, and got up to pick up his briefcase.

"Take care, Kiryu-san."

"Thank you for your hospitality."

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